Swedbank AB Cuts Position in The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

• Swedbank AB has reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 22.7%, owning approximately 484,341 shares valued at about $32.8 million after selling 142,372 shares in the first quarter.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35, showing an increase from the previous $0.32, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.0%.
• Kroger has reported better than expected earnings, with a quarterly EPS of $1.04, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.04.

Swedbank AB decreased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 22.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 484,341 shares of the company's stock after selling 142,372 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned about 0.07% of Kroger worth $32,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Analysts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value of $1,215,690.25. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $68.38 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $54.51 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $70.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.89. The company has a market capitalization of $45.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 32.62% and a net margin of 1.86%.The business had revenue of $33.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.93 EPS. The business's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 price target (down from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Roth Capital raised their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.58.

Kroger Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.

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